Most recalls are fairly routine, so don't panic

Most recalls are fairly routine, so don.t panic...

Recall. When you hear that ominous word in the news, it portends dire consequences. But are recalls urgencies or emergencies? What’s the best way to stay informed? How long should you wait before calling your dealership? Here’s what you need to know.

One big recall involves 7.8 million vehicles and counting—from BMW, GM, Honda, Toyota, and other automakers—in which air bags made by the Japanese supplier Takata are prone to explode in collisions, spraying passengers with shrapnel, sometimes with fatal results. Last year GM also recalled 2.6 million small cars for defective ignition switches that could cause the car to turn off while being driven. In 2009 and 2010 Toyota recalled more than 10 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles for problems that led to unintended acceleration. In 2014, through autumn, automakers announced more than 500 recalls affecting more than 50 million vehicles.

But many recalls are for less than perilous reasons. Sometimes they’re for something as benign as a mislabeled sticker. Or durability tests find a suspension spring could wear out prematurely.

Even when a recall is issued, often there’s little likelihood that a part will actually fail. Indeed, a vast majority of affected cars will never experience the potential problems outlined in a recall notice. But automakers are taking fewer chances these days, given a more aggressive regulatory environment and plaintiff lawyers having more success in defect litigation. And no manufacturer wants to risk the same fate as Toyota, which paid a $1.2 billion settlement to the Department of Justice for dragging its feet during its unintended-acceleration recall process.